Some Old Favorites

                                            

The Best Water In the World

We call it The Best Water in the World -- pure, chill water that flows out of the ground about a hundred and fifty feet above our house. The spring was discovered and dug out long ago by Louise Freeman when she and her family (husband and four boys) lived in the little cabin that still stands near our house. Tired of toting water uphill from the spring near the barn, Louise persevered till she found this one.

When we built our house, my husband 'headed up' the spring which had not been used for many a year -- digging back till the water was coming out over rock and gravel, then building a small concrete dam to make a catch pool for the water. Set into that wall is a pipe that runs into the reservoir. (A piece of screen covers the mouth of the pipe to keep 'spring lizards' (salamanders) out.) The water flows into the reservoir and from there into the house --- gravity water from the mountain -- an elegant thing!


 Our first reservoir was a 30 gallon wooden barrel, purchased from the Mother Earth News Truck Store. It served our needs for many years and was completely adequate back when we had an outhouse and did our laundry at the laundromat. But with a second child, the need for our own washing machine grew and indoor plumbing was next.

To meet the increased demand John built this concrete reservoir -- the materials for which were pulled up the hill by our mules Pete and Molly. It holds 750 gallons! An amazing amount of water!

Of course, that doesn't change the fact that the input from the spring -- a steady stream of water about the diameter of a pencil -- takes quite a while to fill the tank. But, once again, for many years the reservoir up the hill was adequate for our needs. Till the older boy went to college . . . and came back for breaks, bringing with him what seemed like hordes of friends -- frequently showering, constantly flushing friends.

The next step was a well -- but, we told ourselves, we'll keep the water from the reservoir running to the sink and use the well water -- which will likely taste funny -- for everything else.

Oh, the joy! When the well was dug and we tasted the water, it was impossible to tell the difference! So now we flush and bathe  with The Best Water in the World.

The Mystery of a Winding Road

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Extremely Good Listening

                                            

                                                              

I came late to Terry Pratchett's work but have been assiduously working to remedy that oversight. 

For me, the best introduction to his work is the Tiffany Aching series which I've read now several times over.

But then I got the audio books. I listen to books mostly at night, usually for 30 to 45 minutes, after which time I'm generally asleep. So I prefer a book I'm already familiar with and, after romping through the collected works of P.G. Wodehouse and enjoying Gaiman's Ananzi Boys yet again, I decided to give the Tiffany stories a go.

There are two versions--one with a 'full cast' and one performed by Stephen Briggs. Having experienced a few full cast books that were too busy with sound--horse hooves, dinnerware clanking, etc.-- I opted for the single narrator.

And he is excellent! His characters sound different from one another; he does a hilarious turn as Anagramma, a know-it-all teenage witch; and the Scots accents of the Nac Mac Feegals are wonderful!

As is always the case, I pay much better attention to listening as opposed to reading (I'm bad to skim) and the stories are almost new to me in the hearing.

There is so much to love about these books--wit and an amazing amount of wisdom. Don't dismiss them as YA--this octogenarian ( omg, I am an octogenarian!) loves them, and wishes she were Granny Weatherwax. I also see a lot of Josie in Tiffany herself--and am eager for her to discover the books. I don't think she's quite ready yet, but have hopes . . .

Coming Home from School

 

Father of Our Country . . .

                                         

P

When the colonies broke from England to form a country free of a monarchy, it was up to George Washington, as the first president to set the tone for the new republic.

He rejected the suggestion that he be addressed as Your Highness or Your Excellency and strove to maintain the dignity of the office while rejecting the trappings of kingship.

He also set the precedent of a two-term presidency, turning down the almost certain possibility of a third term.

And this is the man the Current Occupant wants to memorialize with a colossal statue, (gilded, no doubt) while using his AI engendered likeness in nauseating videos in which the two are shown as buddies.

What, I wonder, would George W. think of DJT, the con-man and grifter who has dragged our country's reputation into the mud, alienating allies while sucking up to autocrats like Putin and Kim Jong Un?

Evensong

 

Why Did the Chicken . . .

 Why a chicken in the picture I was meaning to paint of the Rose Pink I showed you recently?

Well, it's like this. I'd done a light pencil sketch of the flowers on a good piece of watercolor paper and set it aside. A few days later, I saw a great picture of a chicken in our recent Farm Bureau magazine and immediately cut it out and traced its outline (I have no shame) onto . . . a good piece of watercolor paper.

And when I looked closer, I saw it was the same paper I'd drawn the flowers on. 

It's been my experience that pencil lines rarely erase completely. So, what the hell, I thought. The flower and the biddy can share the page.

The flower in real life is simple and one flat shade of pink. Though the flower's in front, the chicken and her attitude dominate the picture.

An interesting experiment.

Remembering . . .

. . . that awful day . . . and all that followed . . .

the selfless actions of many, the feeling of a nation coming together in mourning and resolve . . .

and then . . . the Islamophobia acted out by a few and, alas, seized on by some politicians for their own selfish ends. 

 A sad legacy on this day of solemn remembrance.

 

Hints of Fall

The golden haze . . .

The goldenrod . . .

The shades come up and the dining room is once again a pleasant place to be.

I love this dreamy time of year and the slow tarnishing of the mountain greenery.

 

Dear Sirs

When will you call the madman in the Oval Office to account, rather than sitting by as he takes a wrecking ball to our government, our armed forces, our national monuments, our environment, our voting system, our economy, and our national prestige?

His many tweets and AI fantasies reveal a mind that is deeply disturbed and in no way fit to be POTUS--indeed, beyond being an embarrassment to the USA, he is a growing danger to the world.

It should be obvious to the meanest intelligence that DJT needs to be removed from office at once, before he can bring his nuclear dreams to fruition.

Will yours be the legacy of an enabler and co-conspirator? Or will you stand on the side of reason and true (not AI) patriotism?

I'd love to hear your answer.

 

This Is Just to Say

This is just to say

I have eaten 

the plums

that were in

the icebox

and which 

you were probably

saving

for breakfast

Forgive me

they were delicious

so sweet

and so cold

William Carlos Williams

 

Mushroom Galette

This received an enthusiastic two thumbs up from John. It's nice because you can prepare pastry and filling in the morning, if you want, then assemble it all an hour before supper time.

 

MUSHROOM GALETTE

Crust:

1 1/4 c. flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick cold butter, cut into cubes

1/4 c yoghurt of sour cream

1-2 TB water or liquid from yoghurt

Put flour, salt, and butter into food processor and process till mixture is like cornmeal and butter pea-sized. Add yoghurt and liquid. Process briefly till it forms a ball. Put dough on floured piece of parchment paper and press into a flat disk. Fold paper around it and refrigerate several hours.

Prepare filling. Note, it must be thoroughly cooled before put ito the uncooked pastry.

Mushrooms-1-1.5 pounds. Portabello, cremini, shitake or a combination thereof. Sliced

1 TB. Olive oil

1 TB. butter

1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped

3 -4 cloves garlic, chopped

Thyme--fresh or dry

Rosemary-- "

1/2 c. dry sherry (or Marsala)

Blue cheese crumbles (don't over do it--a few TB should be plenty)

Salt and Pepper

Egg Wash (I beaten egg)

Prepare the filling

Saute the sliced mushrooms in the olive oil till they shrink a bit and begin to brown. (about 5 min.)

Add the butter and the chopped onion, thyme, and rosemary.Cook about 4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook another minute.

Deglaze the pan with the sherry, scraping up any brown bits and cook till pan is almost dry.

Transfer mushroom mixture to a sheet pan to cool. When it has cooled (45 min?)to room temperature, prepare your pastry.

Preheat oven to 400.

Take dough from fridge and roll out on the parchment paper it was wrapped in.  Make a rough circle of about 12 inches. Put the paper and dough on a baking sheet and sprinkle the blue cheese in the center, leaving a 1 1/2 inch border. Now pile the mushroom mixture on top of the blue cheese. Fold the edges of the pastry over the mushroom, leaving the center open. Brush the pastry with the egg wash then bake till golden--about 45 min.

Let cool while you make a nice green salad with vinaigrette to accompany it.